Last Regret
by KuroiShii
Summary: Ichimaru takes to heart his vow to kill Aizen so things "don't have to end with Rangiku crying". However, with a couple of confusions, a simple day off becomes a tragedy for both, leaving Aizen pleased with the way everything works out or him. A GinRan one-shot without a happy ending. Bah, I'm bad with summaries. Ratings greatly appreciated!


A/N Welp, I haven't read Bleach/ gotten updated in a long time, so some of these Bleach-y terms may be used incorrectly (please inform me if they are!). Also, this fanfiction doesn't fit with the main plot and I am just too lazy to figure out how Ichimaru's accent works spelled out. Sorry about that!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, however much I wish I did.

* * *

The sun rose with a faint glow, as if noting that this day would bring change, however slight. The fourth division buzzed about with their hands full of wounded shinigamis from the rogue hollows spotted the day before. Soon, one by one, the inhabitants of Seireitei awoke to start their day, whether it was training or paperwork.

In the tenth division building, Matsumoto frowned, looking at the piles of paperwork the captain had assigned her. "Taichou..." she whined, only to be cut short by Hitsugaya's irritated glare. Matsumoto slumped back into chair as she huffed a sigh. "And to think today-" she paused, covering her mouth. "What I meant is that this is so, completely unfair! Could I please just have this one day off?" Hitsugaya responded with just a shake of his head, having heard her pleas every day. Once again, Matsumoto pouted and faced the dreaded pile of papers. _Sorry I can't make it,_ she whispered, _maybe another day._

* * *

Kira's jaw dropped once he caught sight of the towering stacks of papers. He had known that many forms had been sent out, of course, but he definitely hadn't been expecting the amount placed in front of him.

"W-well, Ichimaru-taichou, we may be able finish all this paperwork in, um, a couple of, er, days, if we work fast, I think," Kira stammered, still shocked by the sheer amount.

"Sorry Kira, but I'm going to have to take the day off today, so you're alone on this for now. Good luck!" Ichimaru left the building, leaving Kira nearly in tears.

_Now, where is Rangiku? _Ichimaru wondered as he strolled toward the tenth division building. _It must be that brat Hitsugaya again. _He knocked the door, and, after waiting for a while, opened the door to see Hitsugaya and Matsumoto facing the same paperwork dilemma.

Ichimaru grinned as he walked inside. "Mind if I borrow Rangiku for today?" he asked, nodding toward Hitsugaya, but before he could respond, Ichimaru grabbed Matsumoto by the wrist and led her outside the room.

"Taichou is going to be furious!" Matsumoto laughed, following Ichimaru. "Anyways, any plans?"

"Nope," Ichimaru replied, looking ahead, "but I'll promise you today will be fun."

"I'll trust you then." Matsumoto hid a smile, looking at the ground. She closed her eyes and pretended her surroundings were gone, with only her and Ichimaru left._ I still really like him, even after all these years, don't I?_

_Finally,_ Ichimaru thought, _finally a day away from work, from Seireitei, and,_ his smile dropped_, away from Aizen. Just me and Rangiku._

"Remember when you asked me when my birthday was?" Rangiku asked, prodding Ichimaru.

"Yup," Ichimaru nodded, "how could I forget? Every year after, you would whine about wanting a present."

"Remember that it's the day we met?" Rangiku continued.

"Sure do."

"Do you remember the date we met on?"

"Actually, I forgot, but let me guess. Today?"

Rangiku smiled, recollecting her memories of that day they met. It had been quite a while since then, and so much had changed that she was pleasantly surprised to notice one day that they both stayed pretty much the same as before. She quickened her pace to catch up with Ichimaru and walked in silence beside him for a few minutes. She loved how there was no need for constant conversation between them.

A few more minutes passed with only the two of them walking along, past seireitei, into a quiet forest. Ichimaru stopped and turned to Rangiku. "We're officially supposed to be killing hollows, so it may be best to get one or two before the day is over," Ichimaru informed her. "I hope you won't mind too much." With that, he flash stepped forward.

Rangiku became irritated for a moment. _Please stop leaving me behind. Especially today... you should know by now I hate that part of you._ She followed after him with a slightly troubled mind.

By the time Rangiku caught up, she saw that Ichimaru had already managed to kill quite a few hollows. She swallowed her negative feelings and watched the last of the hollows go down as Ichimaru jumped back toward her. Suddenly, she noted that Ichimaru tensed up. He gripped his katana tightly, like how the nervous students of the Shinigami Academy would during training.

* * *

The position of the falling sun in the sky announced it was a few hours past noon already, so Ichimaru had been ready to suggest they start heading back. It was a pretty uneventful day, but there's always another time. However, he caught a glimpse of the slightest flash of white that made him stop dead in his tracks.

It seemed to have been a captain's haori: the white had fluttered, then disappeared, so where was the captain to which it belonged to at? Ichimaru confirmed the worst case scenario when he sensed the reishi of the 5th Division's captain, Aizen Sosuke.

Of course Ichimaru remembered his vow to kill Aizen after he realized Aizen was the one who hurt Rangiku, and what a great time it seemed then to kill him right then and there. After all, it was a pretty isolated area, since nobody was there except for him and Rangiku... of course, Rangiku would be understanding. Hopefully. He pointed his katana in the direction the reishi was coming from.

Rangiku found it strange how Ichimaru froze up as if engulfed in thought a few meters away from her. To her, he seemed almost entranced when he pulled out Shinsou. Rangiku stepped in front of him, confused. "Gin, what are y-"

"Ikorose, Shinsou!"

* * *

The sword flew forward and back in less than a second. As Rangiku laid with the life slowly draining out of her, countless thoughts cluttered her mind. "Why, Gin?" she managed to barely whisper. _Why had he wanted to kill me? I thought that..._

Ichimaru opened his eyes for the first time in a long time, falling onto his knees. "No..." he muttered. _Why had Rangiku stepped in front of Aizen? Was she protecting him? She should know better than anyone why I wanted to kill him, so why is she asking me? _"I had to." Ichimaru closed his eyes and turned away, cursing Aizen.

Aizen watched the whole situation unfold from a distance, smiling and stifling a barely audible laugh to himself. It appeared as if Ichimaru really was plotting to kill him. What a lucky move it was, then, to flash step away at the moment he did! _Your power shall never exceed mine_, Aizen thought with a smirk as he bounded back toward Seireitei.

* * *

By the next morning, the news had spread everywhere. With a short search party, the murder was confirmed and Ichimaru was to be executed in proper time. Still holding the guilt of Rangiku's death on his shoulders, he wasn't particularly fazed by all the insults and comments of his peers, and even his underlings.

Hitsugaya was the first to approach him in his cell, leading a trembling Hinamori. "I'm just glad you'll finally be gone so you can't hurt others," he growled, glancing at Hinamori.

Hinamori appeared frightened, almost unwilling to speak. "And what do you want to say, little girl?" Ichimaru asked cheerfully.

"Just that Rangiku-san was my friend, and," Hinamori bit her lip, "and that..." she stopped and started sobbing, leaving with Hitsugaya, who shot one last disgusted look at Ichimaru.

A few other shinigamis visited; some jeered at him, while others seemed disappointed in him. Kira had not made an appearance at all. _What a shame. He could have used some advice for when I'm gone. _

Rukia was the last to come. Her eyes blazed with anger as she undoubtedly remembered when she was in his spot. "It doesn't feel great to be in my previous position, does it?"

"Nope, it really can't compare to the third division barracks. Especially with the lack of visitors. I get lonely too, y'know." Ichimaru replied with a grin.

The execution came faster than Ichimaru expected, but he embraced the thought of leaving behind Seireitei. His only regret was never understanding why Rangiku protected Aizen, in spite of everything Aizen had done.

"It's been fun knowing y'all. Bye-bye," Ichimaru waved with one last smile, stepping up to the Sokyoku. As he rose with the cubic blocks hoisting him up, he locked gazes with Aizen, making sure to keep grinning. He scanned the crowd below and noticed with a heavy heart that there wasn't a single friendly face. Everyone would be glad or neutral to see him go.

Watching the great bird get ready to strike, Ichimaru completely shut his eyes, sinking away from reality. _No, I regret more_, he told himself, _I regret not being able to gain the trust of anyone besides Rangiku. I regret leaving in this manner. I regret changing from a child prodigy to a fearful being. I regret so much, but still, I regret most of all the fact that I never even mutter a farewell to Rangiku before leaving. _

_So let it be now, then. Rangiku, I don't know what happened to make you side with Aizen, but at the moment, I don't care. I just want to tell you, for the first and last time... _The bird lunged forward.

_Sayonara._

A/N again

Okay, the ending is cheesy but I am not a great thinker. Also, it's probably quite OOC for Ichimaru, but… I have no excuse for that. Eh, oh well. Critiques, reviews, and especially mistakes being pointed out are all greatly appreciated!

P.S. Please excuse my huge amount of lines!


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